Smart Meters May Prove Dumb Idea
Thursday, July 20, San Francisco --TURN today criticized the CPUC for allowing PG&E to charge consumers billions more in order to install "smart meters" in every one of their customers' homes. Installation and upkeep of the meters comes with a high price tag, but the benefits associated with use of the meters have not been proven.
TURN Executive Director Bob Finkelstein said, "TURN supports programs that conserve energy and save consumers money. These meters do neither." The meters have been touted as a solution to high peak energy demand because they will enable time-of-use pricing, but Finkelstein said there are simpler, cheaper and more effective ways of reducing peak demand.
"Air-conditioner cycling programs, for example, attack peak usage directly while saving energy and money at the same time, and have proven to be cost-effective. They also target the residential consumers with the greatest opportunity to reduce peak load." In contrast, a pilot project trying out the smart meters in residential homes had disappointing results.
Finkelstein added that large commercial customers have already been given smart meters at taxpayers' expense, yet have failed to appreciably reduce load since then. "If large customers haven't changed their energy usage substantially in response to so-called price signals, it is hard to imagine that the typical household will be able to."
